Robert Zemeckis shoots for a DiCaprio and lands on a Carell for his memory loss movie
Back in October, we reported that Robert Zemeckis wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to star in his fictional adaptation of Jeff Malmberg’s 2010 documentary Marwencol. We also told you to stay tuned for either another critically acclaimed film starring DiCaprio, or an insight into which actors take the roles he turns down. Well, as it turns out, one of those backups is Steve Carell, who was recently nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Foxcatcher.
According to The Wrap, Carell has signed on to portray Mark Hogancamp, who was brutally beaten by a gang of teenagers and later awoke from a coma with almost no memory of his past life. To cope with the trauma, he built a miniature WWII-era village populated with dolls whose identities were very real to him.
Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas) wrote the script, and Zemeckis’ ImageMovers banner will produce the film with Malmberg as executive producer. ImageMovers currently has a deal in place with Universal Studios, which has optioned both Marwencol and Hogancamp’s life rights.